AO7: Demonstrate presentation skills in a formal setting

The idea

AO7 requires you to plan and deliver a spoken presentation to an audience in a formal setting, such as a classroom or hall. You must select and organise content clearly and control tone, pace, volume and body language so your message is understood. For example, a presentation on reducing plastic waste might open with a striking fact, explain three practical actions, and close with a direct appeal. Prepare cue cards, rehearse timing, and make deliberate eye contact. Assessment focuses on how effectively you communicate meaning through spoken language, not on written notes alone. Your teacher observes your live or recorded presentation and judges your overall performance against the assessment objective. Keep AO7 distinct from AO8, which covers listening and responding to questions and feedback, and from AO9, which assesses spoken Standard English.

What earns the marks

• Selecting and organising content so that the presentation has a clear introduction, developed main points and a purposeful conclusion.
• Controlling delivery features such as pace, pause, volume, intonation and pronunciation so meaning is clear and engaging.
• Using non-verbal communication, including eye contact, posture, gesture and facial expression, to support the spoken message.
• Adapting language and content to the audience and purpose, for example by explaining technical terms or using rhetorical questions.
• Maintaining audience engagement through direct address, rhetorical devices and a confident, audible delivery.
• Sustaining a formal register appropriate to the setting, distinguishing presentation skills from the separate assessment of spoken Standard English under AO9.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Reading word-for-word from a script.

  Put it right: Use brief cue cards with keywords and rehearse so you can speak naturally.

• Speaking too quickly or quietly because of nerves.

  Put it right: Practise with a timer and record yourself, then adjust pace and volume deliberately.

• Including too much detail without a clear structure.

  Put it right: Plan three or four main points and signpost each one with phrases such as 'First' and 'Finally'.

• Treating AO7 as a test of spoken Standard English.

  Put it right: Focus AO7 preparation on organising and delivering the presentation effectively in a formal setting.

• Confusing AO7 with AO8 by planning to answer audience questions as part of the presentation.

  Put it right: Prepare the presentation itself for AO7, and treat question-and-answer as separate AO8 practice.

Exam tips

• Rehearse aloud with a timer and, if possible, record yourself to check audibility, pace and clarity.
• Prepare cue cards with short bullet points rather than full sentences so you can maintain eye contact.
• Open with a hook such as a question or statistic, signpost your main points, and end with a clear closing statement.